Method of puffing bacon rinds



United States Patent O METHOD OF PUFFING BACON RINDS Mauritz G.Anderson, Wheaton, and Charles F. Smith, Prospect Heights, lll.,assiguors to Swift & Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of IllinoisNo Drawing. Application February 26, 1957 Serial No. 642,359

3 Claims. (Cl. 99107) The present invention relates to a method oftreating bacon rinds and, more particularly, to the preparationof edibleproducts from bacon rinds.

Although bacon rinds (pork skins) ordinarily have a tough, leatheryconsistency, it has long been known that these materials can be treatedto produce edible cracklings. In conventional methods, cracklings areprepared from cured and smoked pork skin pieces which have been renderedeither in a 100 F. to 275 F. oil bath for 2 to 3 hours, or in steam orhot water for lesser periods of time. After rendering, the skins areimmersed in oil heated to about 400 R, where they either putt to severaltimes their original size or remain hard and tough. Those pieces thatpuff satisfactorily arecrisp and have a mild bacon flavor. Those piecesthat do not puff, however, are substantially inedible and represent aloss of yield. This loss generally amounts to from about 15 to about 40%of the total treated skins. Understandably, such a large percentage ofunsatisfactory cracklings is highly undesirable, and representsa'serious problem to commercial processors.

The principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to providea method of preparing edible products from bacon rinds whichsubstantially eliminates thisloss of yield.

Other objects not specifically set forth will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description.

Generally, the present invention comprises the discovery that theproblem of non-puffable rinds can be almost entirely eliminated bytreating the rinds with. particular .acid solutions prior to the pullingstep. .More specifically,

if cured pork skin pieces are immersed in certain acetic acid solutionsfor at least about 15 seconds, substantially all of these skins willthen puff when subsequently. treated with hot oil.

Experiments have demonstrated that it is possible to microscopicallydistinguish pork skins which will produce edible cracklings usingconventional methods fromskins which will not puif properly after suchtreatments. This observation gave rise to the conclusion that theability of certain bacon rinds to puff depended on the histologicalstate of the skin prior to processing and not on variables found inthose methods of processing now practiced in the industry.

Properly prepared bacon rinds will puff whenever moisture within theskin is subjected to vapor producing temperatures. Most of the moistureneeded for pufiing is taken up and held in gelatinous material whichforms as a result of the breakdown of the collagenous connective tissuefound in the dermal layer of the skin. A second type 2,855,309 PatentedOct. 7, 1958 "ice of connective tissue (reticular), however, strengthensthe rinds and often prevents the skins from rupturing properly. In orderto insure that a substantially 100% yield of product will be obtained,therefore, the skins should:

(1) Contain collagenous connective tissue which has gelatinized;

(2) Have the correct amount of residual moisture; and

(3) The recticular connective tissue should not be present in amountsgreat enough to prevent satisfactory puffing.

It has been found that the above requirements for proper pufiing can besatisfied by treating the skins with particular acid solutions beforethe rind pieces are exploded in hot oil. The subject method not onlyproduces satisfactory puffing from skins which would not puff underconventional methods, but additionally, the treatment enhances productflavor and consistency.

The following examples are illustrative of the subject invention and arenot to be considered restrictive thereof:

Example I Assorted sections of two cured and smoked skins (rinds) whichpreviously had not puffed when processed by standard methods, wereimmersed in a boiling solution of 10 percent acetic acid and in a roomtemperature solution of 10 percent acetic acid for from one to five Inaddition to demonstrating that the present method will increase productyield, the above tests also illustrated the interdependence of solutiontemperatures and treatment times. Where boiling solutions of 10 percentacetic acid are used, for example, satisfactory results can be obtainedby immersing the skins in the acid for from about 15 seconds to aboutseconds. When the solution temperature is lowered to 70 F., however, theimmersion time should be lengthened to 5 minutes or more. Preferably,the acid solutions should be heated to from about F. to about theirrespective boiling points. The time of treatment, of course, will varyinversely in relation to the temperature of the solution, and will varydirectly according to the acid concentration. Schematically, this may beshown as follows:

strong acid strong acid weak acid weak acid high temp. low temp. hightemp. low temp. short time long time longer time longest time Example 11Bacon rinds from cured and smoked bacon bellies were mechanically cutinto pieces of a desired size (preferably about /2. inch to inch wideand 3 inches to 4 inches long) after they had been sent through afleshing machine to remove adhering fat particles. The defatted pieceswere then immersed for 15 seconds in the below listed solutions ofboiling acid. An examination of the skins subsequent to the renderingand pufiing steps showed the following results:

As is evident from the above data, certain acids such as citric acidhave no apparent effect on pork skins. The tests also show thathydrochloric and phosphoric acids do not improve pulfing nearly as muchas do acetic acid solutions. 40 in most of the procedures currentlypracticed.

Example III In the preferred method of the subject invention, cured dsmoked pork skin pieces are prepared for the pufling Mechanicallydefatted sklns were dipped in bOllll'lg an 7 step by 1mmers1ng them 1nboiling 10 percent solutions of i gli g g gg sgf ig i f i g g f fig jz2:55; acetic acid for at least about seconds. After the rinds o p u o Pp have been treated with the solution, they may be washed The followingtable set forth a comparison of the product obtained in each variationof the present method with cracklings produced by conventionalprocesses.

in coldwater in order to eliminate excess acid. The washing step canalso take place after the rinds have been puffed in hot oil. Unless theacid solution is highly con- Normal Proceduref Pufi centrated, however,the washing operation can be dis- Green skms-treatmentsatlsfactorypensed with without materially lowering the quality of the2. Cured sk1nstreatment Improved-Good. product Smoked P Although theabove conditions are preferred, it should 4. Rendered skinstreatmentImproved--Good. 5. Puifed skins. It is clear that the acid treatmentimproves the final product in all cases except where green skins areused. The best place for the treatment, however, was found to be betweenthe smoking and rendering steps.

Example IV The following experiment was conducted to determine theminimum amount of time needed for rendering after skins prepared asshown in Example II were treated for 15 seconds with a 10 percentboiling acetic acid solution:

Treated Pumng 1. An improvementin a method of preparing edible RenderingTime at R Results products from bacon Ill'ldS wherein sa1d rinds arepuffed Control in hot oil which comprises: immersing said rinds for atleast about 15 seconds in a solution containing at least '5 g about 1percent acetic acid prior to said pufiing step, which T F solution ismaintained at a temperature of from about 70 F g F. to about the boilingpoint of the solution. 0 F 2. An improvement in a method of preparingedible products from baconrinds wherein said rinds are puffed in hot oilwhich comprises: immersing said rinds for from U=Unsamfact0ry- F=Fam ssatisfactory about 15 seconds to about 5 minutes in a solutioncontaining at least about 1 percent acetic acid prior to said puflingstep, which solution is maintained at a temperature of from about 100 F.to about the boiling point of the solution.

3. An improvement in a method of preparing edible 5 products from baconrinds wherein said rinds are puffed in hot oil which comprises:immersing said rinds in a 10 percent solution of acetic acid prior tosaid pufling step,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS DarrowNov. 14, 1939 Brissey Feb. 3, 1953

1. AN IMPROVEMENT IN A METHOD OF REPARING EDIBLE PRODUCTS FROM BACONRINDS WHEREIN SAID RINDS ARE PUFFED IN HOT OIL WHICH COMPRISES:IMMERSING SAID RINDS FOR AT LEAST ABOUT 15 SECONDS IN A SOLUTIONCONTAINING AT LEAST ABOUT 1 PERC ENT ACETIC ACID PRIOR TO SAID PUFFINGSTEP, WHICH SOLUTION IS MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 70* F.TO ABOUT THE BOILING POINT OF THE SOLUTION.